Once Upon a Time Machine is what all good retellings of beloved tales should be. The basic premise is a seriesDisclaimer: Copy recieved via Netgalley.

Once Upon a Time Machine is what all good retellings of beloved tales should be. The basic premise is a series of tales transported to Sci-Fi settings that, in part, ensure employment of a comics department in a large corporation. Perhaps a comment on today's publishing world? If so, it seems to be an accurate one.

And you can believe it.

The various stories used include American folklore such as John Henry, Aesop, Asian tales such as “The Peach Pit Boy”, European fairy tales such as “Billy Goats Gruff” and classic literature such as the works of Dumas. It works. It works brilliantly and is not a copy of Fables.In short, the only thing setting this collection of retellings from those short stories collections edited by Datlow and Windling is the medium used.Each story is retold using a different style, and between the stories is artwork depicting scenes from other tales. While the settings are in the future, they range from spaceships to bio-domes and a future Nigeria. If you are a parent or a librarian looking for something depicting more than just white men, this collection more than fulfills that demand.

The collection starts very strong with a retelling of the American legend of John Henry. John Henry is a folk hero who does not get the attention he deserves, at least currently, and it is a joy to see him in a beautiful and powerful retelling. The framing device used in the tale works perfectly, and this is one of those comic stories that transcend comics. The power and pathos of the John Henry story is more than equaled by tales such as “Pinocchio or the Stars are Not Wanted Now”, “The Five Chinese Brothers”, and “The Last Leaf”, a retelling of an O. Henry story . These stories show that too often comics move beyond the medium that is seen most often in the movies and racks. They are equal of anything by Eisner, who gets a nod in the beginning of the collection.

Not every story in the collection is serious and heart-breaking. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears, or Silver-Hair and the Three Xairs” will delight any science fiction fan as well as lovers of Roald Dahl. Thought Mickey and the Brooms was a bit cute in Fantasia, try “Sweet Porridge”.What is most interesting is how some of the tales are transformed. “The Billy Goats Gruff; or, The Crossing” keeps the testing of the original but becomes a quest for a girl undertakes to save her grandfather. “The Three Musketeers” have to help their king in a future Nigeria, where their enemies consist of robots that remind one of Star Wars droids. The changes or twisting of some of the stories is very imaginative and works – “The Tortoise and the Hare” as a soapbox derby for instance. The best twist, in my mind, is “The Billy Goats Gruff”. I would buy a series of stories about Billie. Where was she when I was growing up? “The Billy Goats Gruff” story will please fans of Robin Mckinley.

Even those stories such as “The Last Leaf” and “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” that stick most closely to their sources keep the spirit of the source and hence work extremely. “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is a favorite story of mine, and I liked this retelling as much as I liked the original.

The artwork is varied, including artwork that is clearly inspired by anime and magna. There is super-hero artwork in “Peach Pit Boy”, which of all the stories is the closest to a tradition comic super-hero. In most of the cases, the artwork suits the style and tone of the story perfectly. The only art I didn’t particularly like was that with “The Three Musketeers”, I loved the story but at times I found the artwork a little hard to follow. Even there, however, in many panels you could see the connection between the story and the art.

I do have to say the only time I was disappointed was the fact that the “Three Little Pigs” picture that referenced both Power Rangers and Star Wars was just that. While the pig story was good, I wanted to see the story that went with that picture.

Ah well, hopefully there will be a volume two. This is an excellent book. If you love fairy tales, read it. If you have a daughter, get for her. Get if for your libraries. It really is a work of art on all levels....more

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley. Receiving said ARC made me squeal in glee. Whatever power at Penguin books said let her have it, I love yDisclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley. Receiving said ARC made me squeal in glee. Whatever power at Penguin books said let her have it, I love you.

There is something about the Joanne Harris and her books that are set in France. Every time you read one of them, you want to eat. It’s not that want a new, rich piece of decadent cake feeling. It’s a sit in the garden, open a bottle of wine, and have a nice dinner with family and friends type of feeling. The type of situation where the talk is just as important as the food. It’s a nice cool night. No bugs. There’s a fire and a lot laughter. The food is good and honest. The wine not too expensive, but not cheap either.

That’s this book.

This book, more than The Girl with No Shadow, is the true follow up to Chocolat. The threads that Chocolat left that weren’t touched on in Shadow are dealt with here. This book is far less forced in feeling than Shadow. Whether true or not, Shadow felt like it was written because of the movie’s popularity. Peaches feels like a fruit growing from a well loved tree. It is a gift to readers.

After living with Roux, Anouk, Rosette, and Bam in Paris, Vianne finds herself called back to Lansquenet-sous-Tannes after receiving a letter from the dead. She returns to the village with her children, but without Roux who doesn’t want to come and discovers that things have changed yet again, and Father Reynard stands accused of a crime that very few in the village think he is innocent of.

And this sense of change is the heart of the novel as is the question of innocence.

The change in Lansquenet at first blush seems to be due to the arrival of Muslim immigrants who once adapted to the town life, but then began to stand out by becoming too conservative, especially in terms of female dress, an issue that is debated in many countries in Europe today. Relations have gotten so bad that Father Reynard stands accused of burning down a Muslim school housed in Vianne’s former chocolate shop. The resentment of the long time residents and new arrivals, the clash of immigrant and old timer, is one that is seen in most places. If it is not seen in your city, you see it somewhere in your country. Harris captures this conflict of feelings and tumult very well from both sides. She evens brings it up in terms of the church at Lansquenet with the addition of a priest who uses PowerPoint slides in his sermons.

It is difficult when reading this novel to not think of the 2005 riots in Paris as well as the debates about veil and burqa in France. Harris, however, moves beyond such debates and concerns. While the idea of immigrant is present, it is used to deal with the idea of what seems to be versus what is. It is not only the townspeople and the new arrivals that must deal with their prejudices, but Vianne as well. It is this flaw in character that makes Vianne totally human and not the saint that some in the book accuse of being. It is her problem with seeing what is versus what seems that leads to some of the tension in the book, tension and questions that Harris supports with a good foundation.

The use of this theme is illustrated not just in the character of Father Reynard but in his counterpart at the mosque, in the family of Said, in the character of Ines, and in the cat who has three homes. (Reminds me of a cat I know).

The theme resonates because the reader comes to the book with certain pre-convinced ideas, ideas that Harris challenges and ideas that are not just about immigration. It is a question of dreams and reality, of judgment and courage, a question of who we as a people are, and what makes a community.

Harris tackles religion in this book, not just Islam but Catholicism as well. This is a brave book because Harris doesn’t fall into the conservative versus liberal fallacy. Both conservatives and liberals in terms of religion are being admired if not liked here.

Additionally, it is though the reader’s view of such terms as applied to religion that Harris makes good use of what seems and then turns it on its head. For instance, Father Reynard is both as conservative and more liberal than he was in Chocolat, and his potential replacement does come across as a perverti as one character call him. Yet, liberal ideas in terms of religion are also present, and the villain is a villain because of the world view, not because of religion. It isn’t religion be it liberal or conservative that is evil, but an idea held by a person and used to do harm that is evil. In this sense, as well as in the climax of the book, Harris harkens back to her earlier works such as Sleep Pale Sister and Holy Fools.

But what is most powerful about this book, besides the character of Vianne, is the food which becomes as in Chocolat another character in the richly woven tapestry. Here the food becomes two additional characters because in addition to the traditional French fare (here I’m including the chocolate), Harris includes Middle Eastern food. The food, both types, becomes another symbol in this rich novel. You’ll want to go to a French café one night and a Moroccan cafe the next.

Many of the characters from the first book are present here and new ones, just as vivid, are introduced. Harris excels at capturing young girls in fiction, and Vianne’s daughters are given new companions here. Vianne’s return to Lansquenet is also the reader’s return to old friends and by-ways. This is a worthy successor to the magic that was in Chocolat, and is far more daring in scope than that novel.

P.S. - I will be buying the published copy of this book. I will buy it in hardcover. It's that good....more

The woman of the past found an intimation of the laws of nature, of life and immortality, in bearing children; the woman of the future, retaining this experience, will give it words and form. Virginia Woolf, of the present, is still a seeker, struggling to prepare the world for a woman Shakespeare, a woman Rembrandt, even a woman Christ. She is the transitional link between the past which produced a Jane Austen and the future yet to produce the great "Shakespearianna". Conscious of her limitations, she finds a beautiful gratification in being one of her mediators, one of the spiritual mothers.

The woman she is helping to create will culminate in herself the physical creativeness of the past with mental creativeness of women like Virginia Woolf - the woman of today.

Gruber is one of those women that people should know more about. This book is her study, her Ph. D. study of Woolf, written when Woolf was still alive and Gruber study in Germany during the rise of Hitler. The reissue of the study includes a foreword by Gruber as well as facsimiles of letters from Woolf and her publishers. In truth, the forward is worth the price of the book, for it is Gruber’s description of her meeting the Woolfs that is fascinating. Gruber captures them so well, her prose transports the reader to the room. The descriptions of Gruber’s decision to go to Germany, of her studies there, and her meeting with Woolf form the perfect introduction to this study of Woolf’s work.

Gruber’s focus on Woolf consists of paying close attention to Woolf’s use of language and description. Gruber than applies that close level of reading to the connection, if any, to Woolf and the male writers who she drew from. Gruber argues that Woolf saw female as creative and male as destroyer. She argues that Woolf used that only prose poetry, but details to highlight how Female things, such as dinner, were just as important as male things, such as sport.

I can hear the student today say, “Yeah, I know this. So what?” Here’s the so what; in her study, in particular in the closing remarks above, Gruber connects Woolf to those woman writers of today. It is though this study that Woolf (and Gruber) and Gruber (and Woolf) foreshadow the coming of such authors as Toni Morrison and A.S. Byatt among others. It is hard to read Gruber’s analysis of Woolf and detail, and not see that influence on Byatt’s Still Life or the similarities in the use of detail and langue in the works of Morrison.

Yet, when I think about this book, I keep thinking about the introduction, the wonderful introduction that describes the introduction of three great minds – Gruber, Leonard Woolf, and Virginia Woolf. The introduction not only describes the meeting in such detail that you are there, but also deals with hero-worship and how one feels after learning what your hero really thinks, this is especially powerful coming from a woman such as Gruber who in her own right is as much of hero, if not more of one, as Woolf. It is this feeling that connects the reader to Gruber in a rather intimate way, the way that occurs whenever a reader discovers that a favored author shares the same literary taste. Here, the feeling is so much that, but that Gruber ‘s sharing of the meeting puts Gruber on even footing with the reader. The reader is not intimidated by a woman who got her Ph D. at the age of twenty and was celebrated for it. Gruber, in the introduction, makes herself one of “us”. She’s still a genius, but the introduction makes her an accessible genius, a human genius, a relatable genius.

And at the same time, while keeping the hero worship idea of Virginia Woolf, does the same thing for the author of Orlando. This is not an easy task, and not many people could have kept the hero worship but shown the humanity. Gruber does, and while her reading of Woolf is “spot on” and thought provoking, it is the introduction to the work that makes Gruber’s book magical....more

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley. Daniel Wolff’s The Fight for Home follows various people in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans as they tDisclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley. Daniel Wolff’s The Fight for Home follows various people in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans as they try to return and rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Both heart-breaking and inspiring, the book’s over-arching themes are the failure of federal, state, and local governments in the response to the storm and to work together to aid those most affected by the hurricane; and the determination of those same residents to “fight for home”. The people Wolff focuses on are “everyday” people. Any reader will know a version at least one those New Orleans residents, if not more.

While the book does not portray the various levels of government in a positive light, it is not partisan in this respect. This tone is set at the beginning with the introduction of Pastor Mel, a man who voted for Bush twice, and who is angry at both Bush and Nagin in the Hurricane’s aftermath. Pastor Mel further illustrates how both federal and local government disappointed the residents in different ways. He is angry at Bush for one reason and Nagin for another. While the failures of FEMA are pointed out, so are the failures in the rebuilding plans of the local New Orleans government as well as the cash hand-outs controlled by the state government. The truth of government as more than one level and politician parties as diverse is further enhanced by the story of Common Ground, a group founded by Malik, a former Black Panther. Suncere, a long time member of the group, notes that, to his surprise, he found local Republicans more willing to aid him than local liberals.

If Wolff shows how the levels of government failed to communicate and mismanaged the rebuilding in different ways, he also illustrates how citizens stepped in. One of the more interesting and hopeful stories is that of the friendship that develops between Suncere, who has a tattoo of Africa on his face, and Mike, a grandfather who flies a Confederate Flag over his ruined home. It is a friendship that seems to exhibit the racial mixture that New Orleans was and should be, that American itself should be, an idea discussed both by Pastor Mel in his critique of Nagin, and by a Carolyn, a woman who was told by various people that she died in the storm, and who uses her home cooking to illustrate her point about race and community. That scene is one of the best in the book. It is absolutely beautiful. This idea of community coming together and of learning from each other is juxtaposed with the racial history of New Orleans. Wolff give the reader the history of how the neighborhoods developed as well as the fact that some schools (and streets) still carry the names of politicians who supported Segregation. The people he follows have also fought against racism, Carolyn and Pastor Mel’s parents have stories of the Civil Rights Era to tell. Malik points out that while he gets called an Uncle Tom because of the vast number of white college volunteers in Common Ground, if the group had been pre-dominantly African-American, they would have been shot at by the National Guard and police. Wolff’s description of rebuilding after the hurricane shows a city that seems to be returning to segregation as a result of the re-building efforts of the various political groups.

The story of Carolyn showcases what is the best and the worst of the rebuilding efforts after the Hurricane. Carolyn is a woman that could be anyone’s grandmother. Wolff describes her in such a way that she would be the life of any party. You want to invite her over for a barbeque. She waits and waits. She waits in a FEMA trailer after waiting for a FEMA trailer. She waits for money from the state. She waits for the DA to sue the contractor who robbed her. She finally gets help from a local historical district plan as well as community groups. This is a woman who deserves more than she what she got, though she is such a lady, a tough cookie, that she doesn’t complain. Carolyn’s daughter, Kyrah, illustrates the struggle people faced after the storm. She struggles for her education, disrupted by the storm, she and her brother struggle to find work, to get out. Katrina did more than wreck homes and destroys families; it destroyed futures in less obvious ways.

If Carolyn’s children have a future at risk, they are balanced by Pastor Mel who has been there. A onetime drug addict who became clean, Pastor Mel gives back to the community. He runs a drug recovery ministry, a group that was one of the first to help residents after Katrina, working long before the federal government arrived. Pastor Mel takes the reader to the homeless but also the house of his parents, a rebuilt family home. Pastor Mel is determined to make a difference, and he does not blow his own horn. He thinks, he speaks, he works with and though the government when he can. Like Carolyn, he is someone you would like to meet.

Wolff’s writing captures not only the city, but the people. The ARC didn’t have any pictures, but a reader doesn’t need them. Wolff describes in terms of showing. The people are presented in such a way that their speech and mannerism convey who they are. Knowing that Suncere named his red pickup truck Harriet Tubman tells the reader far more than any picture could.

I don’t have the knowledge, experience, or background to comment on how this book would tie into urban development, sociology, or history classes. I can’t say if Wolff truly captures the disintegration, de-radicalization, and the success or failure of Common Ground. I teach reading and writing, and this book is ideal for a reading class. Not only does Wolff cover the issues of New Orleans but he ties those issues into the larger American picture, in particular with education and the rise of Charter schools. There are issues about race, society, and history in these pages. The book engages the reader emotionally and intellectually. You want to discuss this book with people. Such a book should required reading for everyone in the country....more

This book isn't about Iranian politics. It's about an Iranian daughter and her family. This isn't a bad thing. Nafisi is a fasinating woman, and thisThis book isn't about Iranian politics. It's about an Iranian daughter and her family. This isn't a bad thing. Nafisi is a fasinating woman, and this book, written in chronological sequence, is in many ways a mediation on family which makes it strangely compelling. It is as if you are watching Nafisi walk back thorough her memories.

Yet despite its very personal feel, the book also is a good way to show the differences and similarities of culture. Nafisi family is warped but in much the same way that many American families are warped. Showing that while culture might affect us differently, some things are human, not cultural.

Of course, some things are cultural, like when Nafisi is forced to veil when she goes to work. And this is important too, because people are amazingly alike while being amazingly different....more

So Kipling was an imperialist. Who cares? This is one of the greatest short stories ever written. I know, I know. Everyone raves about Mowgli. ForgetSo Kipling was an imperialist. Who cares? This is one of the greatest short stories ever written. I know, I know. Everyone raves about Mowgli. Forget him - Rikki-Tikki-Tavi all the way. Why Disney didn't make this one into a movie, I don't know. I can still remember the first time I read this.

Kipling's tale is about young mongoose who must protect his family. Think cute and cuddly, but with sharp teeth. A perfectly thrilling tale. ...more

Loved this. This is a zombie version of Red Riding Hood. Don't worry, she's a cute zombie, you know big eyes and such. The pictures areKindle Freebie.

Loved this. This is a zombie version of Red Riding Hood. Don't worry, she's a cute zombie, you know big eyes and such. The pictures aren't frightening so it can be easily read by children. There are wonderful touches - she brings bones and body parts instead of flowers and cake, to her Grandmother. The bit about the nose is funny. If you like Dahl or Thuber's version of the story, you'll like this.

**spoiler alert** The book isn't so much a mystery as a character study, or to be more extact character studies.

Mysteries are addictive, be they filme**spoiler alert** The book isn't so much a mystery as a character study, or to be more extact character studies.

Mysteries are addictive, be they filmed or book, yet in many cases fictional mysteries offer a world that really isn't our own.

Honestly, if you lived in Cabot Cove, wouldn't you move? Jessica Fletcher shows up somewhere, you would leave like there was an outbreak of plague. And Sherlock Holmes, shoot, you might as well put the cuffs on yourself.

But this flaw is because mysteries are escapism. Everything gets tied up with bow. Especially the why and the how. There is always reason, always a motive. Even bad guys have motives and reason today. Abusive father, drunken mother (or reverse that), a hamster being killed by a sibling's parrot. (Die parrot!)

Knowledge is power because knowledge brings a sense of safety. Knowing allows us to avoid something or seeing it coming. To prepare, or to at least know the risk. It's why the monster is always disappointing when you see it in the movie. Oh that's it? Actually, that's kinda cute (hence why everyone loves Disney's Beast as the Beast). It's why the Joker was so spooky. He didn't have a reason. He just was.

But if you live in a big city, if you live in human society, you know that not everything has a why, or even a how. Violence can be shocking, mindless, pointless, and stupid. Like the girl on NPR who just robbed a bank (well, I might as well) or the kids who beat a man to death (he was there, nothing personal).

It is this lack of knowledge that upsets, not just the randomness. This lack of knowledge is what Indridson (how do you Icelandic characters on a USA keyboard?) seems to be driving at in this city. Not only the why, but the how. Things we don't always know. It what makes the series good. It is what makes this book good....more

Originally done as a radio program, this book looks at the history of the world though 100 objects that are found in the British Museum. A few of the objects are obvious, the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles (strange, how Greece is quiet about those lately?), but most are not so famous and a few are not even on display on a regular basis.

Each item gets a chapter that runs 4-5 pages. MacGregor conencts the item to the world at large as well as gives a brief history of the item. In some cases, he even ties it to the modern world. Some, such as the Sudan items, are especially relvenet today with the independence of South Sudan. Additionally, it is difficult to look at the print of the Wave without thinking of not only WW II but the tsunami of 2011. In some cases, such as some of the stoneware fragments, the discovery matches the purpose of the item.

This book is amazing, and not be threatened by its size. It is extremely readable. The pages fly by. ...more

This volumne focues more on love stories. The best story, to my mind, being Valention's retelling of "Beauty and the Beast". The stories are ones thatThis volumne focues more on love stories. The best story, to my mind, being Valention's retelling of "Beauty and the Beast". The stories are ones that Annabelle tells to Gwen, her newest owner, but also includes one about Gwen herself. Totally enjoyable. I know everyone raves about the Fables series, but so far, at least in the two volumes I've read, I enjoy this series far more. It's darker and more true....more

This was one of those books this year that I took a risk on. The plot blurb was intersting, if a bit sounding like a David Warner/Macolm McDowell moviThis was one of those books this year that I took a risk on. The plot blurb was intersting, if a bit sounding like a David Warner/Macolm McDowell movie, but the cover art was great and it's set in London.

Wow. Wait, I mean . . .

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book starts as a simple time travel story with all those paradoxes that make my head hurt. But it is so much more than that. It's about the creative process, it's about writing. It's all summed up in the last chapter of the novel, and the great thing, the best thing, is that the journey there is worth it. It fits so well.

This exploration is like taking science fiction, Terry Pratchett, steampunk, and the Victorian novel in all its forms and putting them into a blender. What comes out is like the best chocolate shake in the world (change to the ice cream or malted of your choice. If you prefer an egg cream that's fine too, just could you explain what extactly that is?).

Palma takes the story of H. G. Wells and mixes it with Jack the Ripper and Terminator. He is hardly the first to do so, yet he uses the combination in way that no one else has. Wells finds himself adding would be travelers in time and fighting againist a dire plot against literature.

Another aspect of the novel is the use of narrative voice, an all seeing talker who connects to the reader, who ferries the reader around the story as time ferris us all....more

I have been waiting years for this book, ever since I got my first book in the Canongate series.

There is something about a well loved book. Not only cI have been waiting years for this book, ever since I got my first book in the Canongate series.

There is something about a well loved book. Not only can you remmeber the plot, but you can also, quite easily, remember the first time you read the book. The train, the room, the seat, the feeling. It's not every book, but those well loved books. For me they number books such as The Hero and the Crown, Wyrd Sisters, and Duncton Tales.

This book by Byatt starts slow, but then you realize what she is doing, you get overwhelmed not only by the stories of the Norse gods which she brillantly retells, but also by the thin girl's (a shade of Byatt herself perhaps)discovery of them. Juxaposed with this is not only the second World War but any sense of ending or destruction. Even that hollow (and hallow) feeling that one gets when reaching the end of a good book.

Byatt, thankfully, did not intend and, therefore, did not make, the book into a sermon, though the afterword indicates eco-issues were on her mind when she wrote it. There are so many different levels to the story -which is simply discovery of story - that it transcends not only the myth itself, but in some ways rivals the brillance of Possession, though this book can be read in a sitting.

Byatt's ability to use language is on full display, and the book is part prose poem as well as moving retelling of the Norse Gods. I wish Byatt would do a full retelling; her description of Midgard serpent is sensual, threatening, and right on target.

This is one of those slow, sneaky, quietly grabs you type of a book....more

I'm not sure if I like the artwork. I don't hate it, but sometimes a few panels, in particular with the first two stories, would be slightly confusingI'm not sure if I like the artwork. I don't hate it, but sometimes a few panels, in particular with the first two stories, would be slightly confusing.

This collection of 1-6 in the series presents two stories about vampires, a retelling of Snow White, a retelling of Cinderella, and the story of Gwen. The conceit that holds the stories together is a rag doll named Annabelle, who feels she must be cursed. The stories are very dark. It's like the Twilight Zone meets Dahl meets Tales from the Darkside with Muppets.

Yes, it shoulds like it shouldn't work, but it does. It works very well.

While none of the stories are bad, "Gwen's Story" and "Cinderella" are the best two. The Cinderella is one of the best versions I've read in a long time.

While the artwork is confusing, it does match the stories. Using color or a slighly more cuddly style would not work....more

Once upon a time, the Marx brothers went to a magical kingdom and met a old woman who races cows and stupid, stupid rat creatures who have idenity proOnce upon a time, the Marx brothers went to a magical kingdom and met a old woman who races cows and stupid, stupid rat creatures who have idenity problems involing the eating of quiche.

It's funny how we change and yet, somehow, stay the same. I've read comics (or graphic novels) at three points in my life so far. In each of these points, it's been a slightly different style. When I was a preteen, my local store sold mainly DC and so I read those. But it was mainly non-mainstream - Rocket Raccoon and Atari Force. In high school, I got mainly into Marvel (long live the original New Warriors, Firestar, and Jean Grey) until the Marvel writing really, truly declined. Now, when I read comics I'm reading Veritgo (so back to DC) or independent graphic novels stuff like The Complete Maus. I picked this up because several reviewers raved about it.

I guess one of the reasons why I stopped reading Marvel comics was the secondary status of many of the female characters as well as the fact that whenever a female got too powerful, she had a "power" issue - something that Magneto, at time if ever, really had. And there is a trend in fantasy fiction, be it comic, book or movie, for the chosen one to be male. Or if the chosen is a girl, she's a baby (think Willow) Here the chosen one is a girl who matures over the length of the epic. Her name is Thorn, btw, and she isn't the only strong woman in the story.

The main focus of the story isn't entirely Thorn, but the Bone cousins - Phoney, Smiley, and, most importantly, Fone. These Bones have been run out of Boneville due to an unfortunate political campign, and eventually met up with Thorn and her grandma Ben, who races cows. What then follows is part Lord of the Rings, part comic book action, mostly epic fantasy with slapstick thrown in at the right moments. (I personally loved all the Moby Dick jokes myself.

The epic combines the best part of an epic fantasy story with the best part of a good comic book. It deals with family love, loyalty, romantic love, friendship, the pysche, and cats. As well as dragons and the nature of good and evil. It is the type of book that you would love to see on the big screen, but you now if they ever did, Hollywood would F**K it up.

While the book is mostly child friendly (there are scary scenes and violence as well as jokes about nudity), it is really adult in most of its references.

This is a satisfiying conclusion to the Princess series. Frankly, Jim C. Hines should earn enough money to buy Hawaii off this series alone.

If you havThis is a satisfiying conclusion to the Princess series. Frankly, Jim C. Hines should earn enough money to buy Hawaii off this series alone.

If you haven't read the Princesss novels, start at the beginning of the series with The Stepsister Scheme. It would help to read them in order.

In this, perhaps final, installment, Danielle, Talia, and Snow face thier greatest challenge and the resolutions to the question raised in previous books (so yes, the Talia/Snow question is answered).

This novel is the darkest of the four and more fully explores Snow's past.

All of the things that make the previous novels good are on display here. Friendship, different abilities, Talia the ninja, cunning but kind Danielle, and interpid Snow. There is the introduction of a new character, Greta, who is handled with Hines' expert care.

Hines' style may not be as polished and smooth as China Miéville, Neil Gaiman or those other writes who appeal to those who read "only literature" as well as those who read fantasy. Yet, in many ways, Hines' Princess novels in particular, and Hines' writing in general, is more honest. More humanist. More earnest. In part, this seems to come from the fact that he isn't trying to impress or show off, he just wants to tell a story that makes people think. Mostly, however, this comes from the humanity of the characters. In some ways, Hines is like Terry Pratchett whose works are about regular people dealing with Frodo's quest. It's humanity that intersts both Hines and Pratchett, whether it be the humanity of witches, princesses, ninjas, wizards, cats, or goblins.

It is that interst that makes the Princess novels so good. If original fairy tales were told, in part, to help prepare people for life, Hines continues in this tradition. He uses the spirit as well as the plot of the fairy tales (like Robin McKinley).

If you haven't read Jim Hines, go out and buy his books! They'll worth the money and then he can buy Hawaii....more

I picked this up during one of those "can't settle on anything to read" periods. You know those periods. You want to read something, but you don't quiI picked this up during one of those "can't settle on anything to read" periods. You know those periods. You want to read something, but you don't quite know what it is and takes forever to find the right book.

This book had me from the first line.

Heller's book is about a bombardier named Yossarian and his struggle to stay alive during a war where his superiors keep changing the bloody rules on him.

The book is a masterpiece because the experience can relate to any working environment. Many of us are not in the life and death conflict that Yossarian is, but we've met and worked with people like Major Major Major or half a dozen of the other characters that inhabit this book.

The human condition is the beating heart of this book. The human condition and the stupidity and humor that surronds us every day, to which we sometimes contribute to.

What Heller has done is used a narrow funnel to illustrate the problems that each of us go though in life, some of us suffer though the worse, like Yossarian. Some of us don't. But all of us have to deal with the craziness....more

John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-donne - This is one of the most famous comments on marriage, from the husband of the pair himself. Donne wasn't referring tJohn Donne, Anne Donne, Un-donne - This is one of the most famous comments on marriage, from the husband of the pair himself. Donne wasn't referring to his wife, but instead, referring to the cost of the marriage, for he and Anne married without permission, resultling in a brief imprisonment and povetry. John Donne's marriage was such a scandel that his first real biographer, Izaak Waltonsaw it as a huge error and glossed over both it and Donne's love poetry as if in shame. Even today, when Donne's love poetry is more accepted, most people still know Donne for his Holy Sonnets. His love poetry, beautiful and powerful, gets treated totally seperately with the suggestion, unspoken, in some classes that it was written by a different person or, worse, critics try to shoehorn it into devotional poetry. To disregard, downplay, or slight Donne's marriage does a disservice to both the couple and the whole opus of Donne's work. Donne's marriage cost both him and his wife much. Much is made of his frustrated ambitions that occured in the years following his marriage, but she to must have suffered, constantly in childbirth, including one horrific still birth that occured when her husband was a way. Yet Donne wrote love poetry to his wife, including some, like "The Cannonization" that must have been written after his marriage.

It is important to know this about Donne when reading his holy work such as his sonnets or his book. The reason why this holy work stands the test of time, how it has contributed so many quotes to the world is because Donne is the most human of holy writers. One reads Saint Augustine and is seperated but a vast difference in time and culture. One reads Donne and that difference seems so slight for in many ways Donne was ahead of his time. For instance, he says in Devotions

If man had been left alone in this world at first, shall I think that he would not have fallen? If there had been no woman, would not man have served to have been his own tempter?"

There is no hubris in Donne, just questing that tells the reader that even holy man suffer the same up and downs, the same feelings and fears as everyone....more

For some reason I've never been passionate about you. I know why your works are great. I really liked Pudd'nhead Wilson, and I think anDear Mr. Twain,

For some reason I've never been passionate about you. I know why your works are great. I really liked Pudd'nhead Wilson, and I think any attempt to infrinage upon The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is misguided, misinformed (aka stupid and dumb). Yet, despite this I've never really warmed to you. Maybe it's because I saw you as more of a guy author.

I read your defense of H.Shelley because I remembered one of my profs referring to it.

Mr Twain, I love you now. I really do.

I enjoy Frankenstein, and I like Mary Shelley. I like Shelley's poetry, but as someone who has read the journals of Mary Shelley and Claire Claremont, there is something werid about Percy.

This is a wonderful essay in defense of a wronged woman who usually gets bypassed or left by the side in both Mary and Percy's biographies. It is a very sympathic essay. It is brillant.

Will you marry me? I know you're gay, and I'm a woman. I understand that such details present wrinkles in the grand scheme, but I'm sDear Mr. Ackroyd,

Will you marry me? I know you're gay, and I'm a woman. I understand that such details present wrinkles in the grand scheme, but I'm sure we can arrange bits on the side and whatever.

Truthfully, I don't think you are really good looking, but you sure write sexy.

I wish I had a quarter of your intelligence.

This love poem to London, for love poem it is, is wonderful. It's brillant! It's marvellous!

I think I just want to marry you so I can live in London.

Well, that and your accent.

It was a brillant idea to tell the story of London not as a linear history, but as a thematic one. It made it more interesting and the reader learns more. It also stops the book from getting dull. Instead, here come the Tudors; it's here comes the murder (or the animals, or acting or the poor). Even the length of the chapters is just right.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like Goldilocks, though she might have been from London.

My mother tells a true story about her mother and a cat. My grandmother had accidently stepped on the cat. The cat took umbrage. The cat hidden, waiteMy mother tells a true story about her mother and a cat. My grandmother had accidently stepped on the cat. The cat took umbrage. The cat hidden, waited, and then attacked my grandmother's feet.

House cats know about revenge and vengeance.

House cats wish they were as big as tigers. (At least my cats do, or seem to, when there are three dogs, not just the one dog, in the house).

Second bit of true infromation. Tigers are missing what is the tiger version of the collarbone. This allows them to jump really far. An Indian tiger can gain the height of a Asian Elephant quite easily.

Tigers are the most awesome cats on the face of the earth.

I never, ever want to meet one in the wild unless I'm in a very sturdy car.

Vaillant's book is in part true life animal story, part love poem to the dangerous cat in the world. On one level, Vaillant presents the natural history of the tiger. On the next level, Vaillant discusses the history of tiger resuce and Russia's far East. On the last level, Vaillant tells the story of a tiger's search for vengeance.

Be warned. You might chew your lip to pieces reading this book.

The tiger of the title is an Amur Tiger (Siberian Tiger) who kills humans after a violent debate over food rights (or dogs). To Vaillant's credit, he makes the victims human, in other word, they are more than poaches who desire what they had coming to them. In the process, Vaillant also makes a very strong case and plea for why these animals should be protected. He also illustrates the problems facing the Far East of Russia and paints a vivid potrait of life there.

The book is a hunter's story, along the lines of the search for Lobo the Wolf in the American West. It is very similar in tone and respect. Additionally, the book is full of facts about tigers (who can jump from the water like dolphins, who kill bears on princple, and who sound surprising human), facts about Russia, and about animal biolgoy.

You have many Princesses in literature and movies. There's Princess Leia who got to shot people; there's Belle who got a library; there's Princess MooYou have many Princesses in literature and movies. There's Princess Leia who got to shot people; there's Belle who got a library; there's Princess Moonbeam, who got to (okay, I can't remember what Moonbeam got, but she got something). There's Eowyn who got Faramir, but more importantly got RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING!

Who wouldn't want to be a princess?

After all,princess get clothes that look heavy, they get to wear shoes that look painful, they get talking animals (so how they eat meat, I don't understand), they get to watch their biological father blow up thier home and record collection, they get cursed, they get husbands who are charming but not sincere, they are looked at as a food source, dragons want to roast them, man save them and except sex, even if the princess is in love with someone else (even if the knight is supposedly in love with some one. Her beauty made me do it is a very old excuse after all).

I only want to be a princess, if it is in the tradition of Jim C. Hines.

This installment is good and gives the reader a good dose of Talia, who perhaps is most mysterious of the the three princesses. Her character gets more development, and we find more of her back story. This isn't to say that there aren't developments for Danielle and Snow, but Talia is center stage.

The action starts with what looks to be an attempt on the life of Danielle and quickly progesses to trip to Talia's home. Hines should get a huge amount of respect for his handling of rape (Talia is from Talia, the Sun and the Moon) and for truly thinking about the effect of fairy curses. Too often fairy curses and gifts are seen as blessings in disguise or just blessings, Hines takes a more realstic approach.

What I really like is how each of three (four if you count Hood) women is strong in a totally different way. Danielle who is the princess close to a Disney princess is wonderful because her philosphey is shown simply as different than Talia's. I loved, really loved, the way Danielle defeated the Wild Hunt. Snow is somewhat like a Jedi struggling with the dark side, but without the lightsaber and written millons of times better than anything Lucas turned out; Talia is more than just a ninja, Xena knock off; having many complex levels. I also really like that the amount of friendship that Hines shows in these books. Too often women are seen either just talking about men or backstabbing each other (women writers are just as bad as men writers in this regard), none of that here. True, Danielle mentions her husband and child, but it is not the center of conversation, more a facet of her character.

Hines also touches, briefly, but it is there on the current issues and concerns of the West with Shia (Shi'a, Shira) law. He changes it, of course, into fairy and human law. It should be noted, however, that Talia's culture is drawn from Muslim culture and the culture is treated with respect by Hines. While there is conflict over religion, Hines also illustrates more acceptance for behavior than in other cultures, like Snow's....more

I first read Cynthia Ozick when I was prepareing to teach Anne Frank: The Diary oThis book punches you in the stomach even though you know its coming.

I first read Cynthia Ozick when I was prepareing to teach Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Ozick had written an essay, "Who Owns Anne Frank?" for The New Yorker. Then I picked this book up a couple weeks ago.

There is a debate that exist over any literature, be it fiction or non-fiction, that deals with genoicide, war, rape, or anything that is bad, evil, to a group of people at once. The question is whether or not the suffering of one can be used to symbolize or drive home the suffering of many.

Ozick actually sidesteps the debate with this book. What happens to Rosa is horribly. When you read that short story out loud, listen to the pacing as the events change. It's magnificent writing. Ozick, however, makes sure that the reader feels more than pity for Rosa. I'm not even sure pity is the right word. Feel sorry for, feel for, but not extactly pity. This is especially true in the novella for the reader is shown more than just Rosa's prespective on what has happened, on who people (in particular Stella) really are. It is an exanamation of suriving and how some groups, with perhaps good intentions, want to pick the scab open (and make money and fame while doing so)....more

Have you ever seen Blackadder? I don't just mean the first season; I mean the seasons that make you realize Mr. Bean can be really seI love this book.

Have you ever seen Blackadder? I don't just mean the first season; I mean the seasons that make you realize Mr. Bean can be really sexy with some facial hair. For me, there are two very board and very general types of comedy (okay, there are really lots of comedy genres, but I'm talking very board stokes here). There is mean with the chance it might be funny (Letterman), and there is biting but funny and nice/touching (Blackadder, any British comedy, really). For instance, there is a harshness to Blackadder; he isn't a very nice person. There is, however, an essence of truth in some of his wit. Additionally, Blackadder can be very, very moving - the end of the Blackadder IV.

F&F is like that.

Helprin starts with a send up of the modern British royal family. Any idiot will be able to tell that the title characters are Charles and Diana; there is Queen Elizabeth II and the carriage driver (H.R.H. Duke of Edinburgh). In the first section of the book, Helprin pokes fun at the royal family and the press. Yet as the book progresses, the characters, like those in Blackadder become more than just objects of satire. In some ways, it feels as if Helprin is trying to give a happy ending to the Charles and Diana saga. (The book was published years after Diana's death).

At first, Helprin comes off more sympathetic to Freddy (a.k.a. Charles), but Fredericka, starting around part two, comes into her own as well. In some ways, F&F is like The Queen. At firs the movie seems unsympathetic to the royals, but then it shifts.

Additionally to a satire on the royal family, Helprin also goes after American politics and culture. Despite being published five years ago, the politic satire is still apt (though Clinton fans might be a little annoyed).

The book is a riot of laughter and wit, very British in style, among other things it brings to mind is Monty Python (I can see John Cleese as Freddy). There is, however, wonderful, beautiful, and at times touching passages.

For instance:

He [Freddy:] knew instantaneously that deep in the heart of American civilization was its music, and that deep in the heart of its music was the miracle of the open road. (181)

Or:

When Freddy took Fredericka in his arms and they waltzed slowly across the room, time stopped within the sheltering vault of this music. Their slow turning built around them a chamber in which they found themselves beneath an imagined deep blue dome in which was embedded a cloth of gently shining stars. And that was of little moment compared with the disheveled, heat curled fall of Fredericka's hair, her wise and tender expression, and the great trust that had arisen between them. (343)

And it's not just beauty that mixes with the humor. Like all good humor, there is a healthy dose of real life in the book. In the opening section, for instance, Freddy lists the menu of a picnic. It is filled with wonderful, expensive food. The young boy, however, who is going to share in this repast wishes to know if there are any fried Mars bars and haggis; he is disappointed when there is not any. (In fact, my one disappointment with the book is the fact that Helprin didn't bookend the Scottish dessert with a similar American delicacy like a fried Oreo, a fried Twinkie, or a fried baloney sandwich).

This is the first time I've read a book and agreed 100% with all the little quotes on the cover, back, and "buy me" pages.

I read this just after I read The Stepsister Scheme. This book answers some questions raised in the first and continues the characterization started iI read this just after I read The Stepsister Scheme. This book answers some questions raised in the first and continues the characterization started in the first.

Like the first novel, Hines seems to be writing in repsonse to the Disney Princesses trend. The princesses in his book, however, are far from passive. In this book, Hines tackles the story of "The Little Mermaid", relying more on the Andersen version of the story instead of the Disney bastard version.

It's a fairy tale for grown ups. Unlike Disney movies with the almost chronic absence of mothers (honestly, would you like to be a Disney mum?), Hines seems to be exploring the relationships that develop between female friends and family members. The Undines (mermaids) represent one type of family and Queen Bea and the three Princesses another.

Like the first novel in the series, Hines keeps the dark side of the tales present, making this book at times darker than the first novel. There is heavy cost to be paid, and the ending is bittersweet. It works well because of that.

What I really enjoy about Hines is that he writes women who are strong in different ways and who are friends and not rivals. Additionally, he does not do this at the expense of the male characters. This is more of female oriented story, but the men don't suffer from weak character either. Hines, for instance, does a good job of presenting two happily married couples.

There was on development in terms of Talia that I felt unsure about. In truth, when it was revealed, it illicited a small internal groan. Unlike some writers, Hines handles it well and in a rather touching manner....more

One of the more recent cultural phenomenon is the rise of the Disney princesses. Everywhere you look, you see young girls wearing Disney Princess gearOne of the more recent cultural phenomenon is the rise of the Disney princesses. Everywhere you look, you see young girls wearing Disney Princess gear. On Halloween, young girls dress up as Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, and Snow White. Even Mulan has been declared an honorary princess (how, I don't know. Can someone explain it to me?). Some women have expressed concerned about young girls being, well, girly, and lacking good role models. The Disney princesses, in other words, seem to be a tamer version of the Barbie doll.

I'll admit I have a soft spot for some Disney movies. Yes, I know some of them, especially the older movies, put forward stereotypes of the good woman, but some of the art is wonderful. I love Fantasia, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Robin Hood, Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, and strangely, Sleeping Beauty. With Sleeping Beauty, I think it’s the humor and the artwork. Additionally, while the princess needs rescuing, the prince would not have been able to rescue her if it hadn't been for the three fairies, three older women. (I also use to play with Barbie who usually drowned in her pool or got trampled by her horses, unless I was washing her hair with eggnog).

I, however, can also understand the concern about the whole princess market. (Though I would love to get in on it. Do you realize how much money Disney has to be raking in?). It seems that Jim C. Hines is also slightly upset about it and decided to write a book where the princesses kick butt, metaphorically speaking (though there was a strategically placed kick).

The book is pretty good. Sometimes, it seems a little slow, but not too much. It's funny, dark, and good.

Hines takes the characters of Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty and brings in the older, less nice and clean, versions of the tales.

The action starts quickly as Danielle (aka Cinderella) must save herself from an assassination attempt at the hands of her step-sister (a plot point taken from less well known Cinderella variants). Danielle is saved, in part, by Talia (Sleeping Beauty. Her name comes from the story "Talia, the Sun, and the Moon". If you've read that version, you know why Talia has a chip on her shoulder. If you haven't, Hines will tell you eventually). Talia introduces Danielle to Snow (White, that is.) and reveals that both women work for Queen Beatrice (Queen Bea). What then follows is a story about princesses rescuing a prince.

What I enjoyed must about the book was the character types of the three women. Talia, Danielle, and Snow are three different people, each with their own strengths and weakness. Snow could be the traditional loose woman, except Hines does her far more justice than this. She is likable. Talia could simply be the woman with the chip on the shoulder who is really soft hearted, but Hines does her more justice than this. Danielle could be the simple, naive, kind hearted girl, but Hines does her more justice than this.

Danielle is shown to have cunning, and while she is not as skilled as her two friends, she is just as important. (Her interactions in Fairy Town with fairies are great fun to read). Snow likes men and clothes, but she knows her business. Talia may have a chip on her shoulder, but she is not covering a soft heart. In many ways, she is the most complex character.

I love the fact that Hines talks two of the most passive fairy tale heroines (Sleeping Beauty and Snow White) and makes them really active.

While the male characters have some roles, they don't come off badly. When the reader finally meets Armand (Prince Charming) he is worth the loyalty of both his wife and mother. King Theodore comes across as a wise king and a good man. While this is a book that showcases women as the heroes, the men aren't lacking either.

Like most fairy tales, the story also makes use of some dark plot points. Hines takes a good look at the cost of things. There are some loose plot threads, but this seems to be a series, so hopefully they will be tied up.

Many writers make use of fairy tale motifs in thier writing. Murphy isn't even the first writer to make use of such motifs in a tale set during the HoMany writers make use of fairy tale motifs in thier writing. Murphy isn't even the first writer to make use of such motifs in a tale set during the Holocaust. Yolen's Briar Rose pre dates this. Murphy's tale has all the power of Yolen's novel.

Murphy does not deal totally with centeral characters; in fact, she does not reveal the true names of four of her central characters. Instead she uses labels that become names. Even Hansel and Gretel are like this, for the names are the equivent of John and Jane Doe. This suits the tale better than actually giving the real names to the central characters. In many cultures and tales, names are power. Knowing someone's name gives a person power over the other. By keeping the key family unit nameless, not only is Murphy making a statement about the universality of the experience, at least for a segement of the population, but the absence of the names keeps the reader and, strangely, the Nazis from having power over the central characters. Labeled and nameless, Hansel, Gretel, and their adults become independent.

Murphy makes good use of the rather horrific tale by manipulating the motifs. She makes a major change to how the oven is used,who the step-mother is, among others. But she keeps the core of the tale the same. It still is that story about two siblings working together instead of at each other throats. Like the source tale, Murphy switches the children's roles halfway the book. In the original, for instance, Gretel is weaker than Hansel at the beginning of the tale, but stronger towards the end. She saves him as he saved her at the beginning of the tale. Murphy does not overlook this key element of the tale.

Murphy's use of the oven is particularly powerfully poignant, for the actual fairy tale of H&GM was suppressed, along with other Grimm tales, after WWII. In the case of H&G it was primary the element of the oven that lead to its suppression. Today, such fairy tales are considered to "dangerous" for children because of the violence and the threat.

Murphy's book with be placed in that category as well. Despite its fairy tale structure, it is a harsh book. It is a truth that bad things happen to good people, especially in a time of war. Murphy does not mince words when describing what occured. Tough, hard, wrenching choices are made. In particular is Murphy's use of the Stepmother and the abandoning of the children. The original story, critics believe, deals with parents having to abandon children during a time of famine, a historic reality. In Murphy's book, the children are "abandoned" so the adults can led the Nazi's away. The family is in flight, the adults willing to give themselves up for the children. It is a believable, heart breaking, and wonderful twist on the original.

Murphy's book also raises questions about choices, scarifice, and right and wrong. It is a wonderful, sad, stirring book. I'm glad I read it....more

I'm not sure I know how to describe this book. It is immensely touching and heart wrenching, and it never descends into melodrama. The characters areI'm not sure I know how to describe this book. It is immensely touching and heart wrenching, and it never descends into melodrama. The characters are real, totally believable, the plot brilliant. It is a book about different types of loss, but also about different types of hope. It's about what we forget and why; and what we remember and why. It's a touch book to reward because of the subject matter of memory and loss, but it is a book that should be read because of that.

All of the stories in this collection center around the idea of art and creative power. The most famous story in the collection is "Babette's Feast" aAll of the stories in this collection center around the idea of art and creative power. The most famous story in the collection is "Babette's Feast" and not only shows how art comes in more than one form, but also how the artist can be an unknown quality. The story "Tempests" has echos of Tennyson's "Lady of Shallot". The most touching story is "The Immortal Story" where reality and myth mix. ...more